Saturday, July 20, 2013

7-Day Malunggay Challenge!

Oh yes, I'm impulsive! But for some gratifying reasons this spur-of-the-moment thing just defined the kind of mom that I am. A health-freak. I really couldn't find a more suitable word than that. Maybe you could help me out.

Having said that, and if you have been following me in Instagram, you know that I have started something which might have eeked out some foodies, or have interested others. Last July 15, I challenged myself to prepare something nutritious for my family. I actually owe it to them, Ive been so busy and have assigned my husband to do the cooking for days already. For days we have been eating adobo's and only one kind, Chicken Adobo, oh, we also had fried fish.

So I did! I headed to the market and bought ingredients for our lunch. After which, I donned in my usual apron, grabbed a book entitled "The Malungay Book," authored by Chef Day Salonga and Chef Mon Urbano and just went wild in the kitchen.

FIRST DAY: Chicken Afritada with Malunggay

My daughters requested for Chicken Afritada actually on that first day, which I challenged myself. So I just had this weird idea of putting Malunggay leaves on Afritada. But guess what, my husband and my two girls loved it. You just cook your usual Afritada, chicken or beef and right after turning of the stove, you just drop your malungay leaves.

Sorry about the photo, I didn't really put much effort on it first, for it wasn't on my plan to blog about this. It was just on my Instagram.

SECOND DAY: Hickory Fried Chicken and Malunggay Pineapple Salsa

On the second day, not on a Tuesday though, I looked through The Malunggay Book and spotted M Pineapple Salsa. I had a few chicken legs marinated in Hickory mix and had it fried, good thing I have the ingredients available in my pantry.

Here is the recipe for M Pineapple Salsa.

Ingredients:

1 cup diced fresh pineapples (I used canned)

1 cup chopped fresh Malunggay

1/2 cup cilantro leaves, chopped (this one I omitted)

1/4 cup of red onion, finely chopped

1 pc of siling labuyo, chopped (I have to omit, so my kids can eat it)

1 pc lime zest and juice

1/8 tsp rock salt

Procedure:

Toss all together in a bowl. cover and chill until ready to serve.

How easy is that!

Surprisingly, we all loved it! You somehow needed to get used to the grassy scent given off when chopping fresh Malunggay leaves. Thank God for my Braun Multiquick professional handblender/osterizer. Whipping this up was such fun.

THIRD DAY: Malunggay Pesto Spaghetti

With this one, I got the inspiration from Advocafe's Pesto Pasta. Me and a friend had this after a Wedding Planning event hosted by Diamond Hotel. The cafe is just a walking distance to the hotel, by the way.

Recipe for Malunggay Basil Pesto

Ingredients:

1 cup partly dehydrated malunggay leaves or fresh (chopped)

2 cups fresh basil leaves, washed and dried (about 1 large bunch)

3 cloves garlic

½ cup pine nuts (or walnuts)

½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

½ cup olive oil

rock salt to taste

Procedure:

1. Combine all the ingredients except the cheese in a food processor. Pulse until the pesto is blended into a slightly coarse paste.

2. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the cheese.

3. You can toss it right away with the hot cooked pasta or in my case, just to be safe, you can cook it a few minutes before adding to the pasta. Make sure to top it with grated Parmesan cheese or cheddar.

FOURTH DAY: Tuna Eggplants with Malunggay Croquets.

This recipe originally has chopped carrots and I usually serve these when we have guests for lunch or dinner. You may need more time in preparing this. The eggplants needed to be roasted first before making the mixture.

Recipe for Tuna, Eggplant with Malunggay Croquets

Ingredients:

2 large eggplants

1 big can of tuna in brine or vegetable oil (strained) or cooked tuna (shredded)

1 medium scallion (red onion) (chopped finely)

1 clove of garlic (chopped finely)

1 cup of Malunggay (chopped)

2 eggs

1/4 cup flour

1/2 tablespoon Spanish paprika

Salt and black pepper

Procedure:

1. Roast the eggplants (or boil) when cooked, remove the skin and chop.

2. Mix everything up in a bowl.

3. Deep fry in canola or vegetable oil.

4. Drain on paper towels to remove excess oils.

5. Serve with sliced tomatoes and cucumber.

Today would have been the fifth day. But I wasn't able to cook using malunggay since we are renovating two rooms in the house. You know how tedious it is removing the leaves from the stems. Preparing dishes with it is an act of love in itself.

Are you ready for the next dishes? Well I am too! I have loads more of recipes to share, or you can just buy The Malunggay Book: Healthy and Easy-to-do Recipes.

Do follow me on Instagram and check out my updates on my 7-Day Malunggay Challenge.

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About Me

A foodie, a mom to four. a wife, a baker, a business owner and a friend to many!
Method to my madness:
1. Frequent visits to places I love.
2. Fill up my home with lovely memories were eating is the medium.
3. Write my mind out!
For collabs, inquiries and reviews you may email me at gastronomybyjoy@yahoo.com or send me an SMS at 632 9176318186